Positive ID awaited on body

But Calvert St. neighbors say it's Hadsell, 84.

But Calvert St. neighbors say it's Hadsell, 84.

May 09, 2006|ALICIA GALLEGOS Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- A missing woman, a home headed for demolition and a gruesome discovery by a homeless man at 3 a.m. The combination of circumstances may seem straight out of a mystery novel, but for residents along East Calvert Street, the recent events are far from entertaining. Neighbors believe a body found at 118 E. Calvert Street late Saturday is that of the missing occupant, 84-year-old Dorothy Hadsell. An autopsy was performed on the body Monday but police said a positive identification has yet to be made and a cause of death has not been released. Meanwhile, neighbors are upset that almost five months passed before the woman's body was found, and they say multiple calls to police and Code Enforcement about the resident's welfare were not taken seriously. Police stress the home was sealed by Code Enforcement after numerous welfare checks by officers, and that the elderly occupant was known to disappear for months at a time. South Bend Code Enforcement Director Catherine Toppel acknowledged Monday that demolition records are public information, but declined to comment about specifics of the Calvert Street home, pending the ongoing police investigation. Neighbors and police both described Hadsell as a drifter who lived among piles of debris and trash, a collection of rubble the woman's body was reportedly found buried underneath. Neighbor Marina Cervantes lived across the street from Hadsell for 12 years and saw the friendly woman weekly outside her home. "She would bring us toys, take stuff from the trash," remembered Cervantes. "What was other people's trash was her treasure." Police say the last person to speak to Hadsell was an attorney and real estate agent in early December who told police later the woman mentioned traveling to Tampa. Officers conducted two welfare checks at the home later that month, knocking on doors and trying to locate anyone who knew her. On Dec. 19, police and Code Enforcement officials entered the home and performed a search through the house, according to police spokesman Capt. Phil Trent. But after no sign of the occupant, officials secured the home finding it "unfit for human habitation." A missing persons report was filed by police Feb. 6, after an officer called city hospitals, rescue missions, and the local jail searching for record of the woman, according to reports. "(Police) took steps to try to keep track of her, Trent said, "trying to get her help." But Randy Guyberson, who lives in one of the homes Hadsell owned, doesn't believe authorities tried hard enough to find his neighbor. "I was concerned," he said, (but) nobody really did anything." Guyberson said he called police and Code Enforcement officials repeatedly, pleading with them to re-enter the sealed home and look for Hadsell. "I believed she's dead," he said. "(But) I didn't have proof." Enter Duane Horton. An acquaintance of Guyberson, Horton said Monday he had heard about the woman's disappearance from neighbors and decided to "investigate." It was close to 3 a.m. Thursday that Horton, who is homeless, said he climbed into an "already broken" window at the Calvert Street home to escape from the cold. After some digging, Horton allegedly found Hadsell's body in her dining room covered by a mass of clothing. The homeless man said he didn't go to police because he didn't want to be directly involved, and instead told Guyberson who called police. Officers conducted another welfare check on the home May 4, but despite Guyberson's pleas, they did not enter the home. Guyberson said he told officers he believed the woman was dead inside the home, but did not mention Horton actually finding her. Police reported the house appeared in the same condition as when secured months ago and that no entry could be gained to the home. Officers had no reason to believe anything had changed inside the home, Trent said. At some point, Horton re-entered the home and this time took pictures of the body with his cell phone, he said, then sent them to a local television station for help. Police and firefighters entered the house late Saturday and discovered the body. It was found among stacks of clothing, trash, toys and debris piled from floor to ceiling, according to reports.